Textile machine



C; A. C'ORRIGAN. TEXTILE-MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. I918. 1,430,629.

Patented Oct. 3,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"2 Invenior flhavlesfl Corr an,

/ by MW C. A. CORRIGAN. TEXTILE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 19:8.

Patented Oct. 3,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Invenior: thariesfl 00m c. A. CORRIGIIN.

TEXTILE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 91s.

,430,629. Patented 0%. 3,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I I I l I I I I I 1 I l I I l I I I I I umm'IIIlIilllIfiFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIII In:

flriesdi orm'gan,

9/54 MMJ C. A. CORRIGAN. TEXTILE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. I918.

l atented llicit. lit,

NOIS.

31., .ZLSSIG'T'LGR, BY ILESJE ASSIGNIVIENTQ 'ORIPORA'IION OF ILLI- TEXTILE TEACHINE.

Application filedfiepteniber 9, 1918. Serial No. 253,200.

To all 7.071017?) it may concern:

Be it known that l, Guanine i Conn oan, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York city, in the county o't New York and E tate oi? New York, have invented an improvement in Textile liilachines, of which the following; description, in connec tion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. I

This invention relates to textile machines, being more particularly concerned with machines for handlinpgdro-p wires and more specifically with machines -for the threading;- ct such drop wires.

For the purpose of illustration the inrention is herein. shown embodied in a warpdrawing or thread-placing machine where the thread-placing device is utilized ttor plac in the warp threads through drop wires, harness eyes and reed dents. While my 1nrention has particularly advantageous application to a machine of this class, ll] is, however, susceptible of a broader application to machines intended for other or tor similar purposes than drawing-in mach nes, wherein the selection and separation oi the arp or other threads is required.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accon'ipanying illustration oi one specific embodiment thereof. while its scope will bemore )Liiil(jlllllly pointed. out in the appended claims.

I In. the ilrawin ;s:

1 is a View partially in plan and partially in horizontal sectioin showing some ot' the principal parts on one end ot a machine emhoilying one form of the inivention;

Fig. 2 is a similar View or the opposite end o l the machine;

Fin. 3 an elevation. on an enlarged scale showing in detail the controlling mechanism for the drop wire releasing and teedinp devices; Fig. l is a plan view mechanism shown in Fig. Fig. 5 is a transrer .ot a part of: the

f) a, v s sectional elevation on the line of Fig. 3;

Fig. (i is a sectional plan on the one 6() in Fig. 5.

' features,

F 7 is an end View or the intermediate head showing; the gearing connections be tween the drop wire gt'eeding shafts; the View being taken in the plane oi line 77 of Fig. 3., i

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation showing the drop wire positioning and-turning worm and the releasinglrey for one of the banks of drop wires; and

Fig. 9 is a detail in transverse sectional elevation showing one of the drop wires at the time it is faced by the feeding and turnmg worm.

While the invention in many of its aspects is applicable to machines other than warpdrawing machines and also warp-drawing machines of other types and construction than that herein shown, the invention is herein illustrated'hy embodiment in a well known type otjdrawing-in machine which, therefore, need not he described in entire detail.

The machine here shown, as to many of its may he of thesame general construction. as the type of machine shown in Bri 'sh Patent No. i661 of 1904: and United titates patents to Charles Lea No. 1,153,869 and llatha and Lea No. 1,188,070. More specifically, the machine here as to many of its features is similar to the machine shown in the coiending application of Hathaway 8; Trims Serial No. 108,387.

in the illustrative form of machine, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the reed. hed illes. warp threads and drop wires, or other similar loom elements, are supported in generally parallel arrangement lengthwise the machine upon suitable supports carried by the main frame 1 (Figs. 1 and 2). A traveling carri re 2 supporting at one end the reciprocatory needle 3 with 'iitable actuating and-'co-related mechanism therefor, is caused to travel along the machine hed through the action of a lead screw 4-. To selectiy ly open the reed dents and to select in prei'leterniinei'l order from respective harnesses the required heddle eyes and pre sent them to the path of the needle to let i teed and present the needle the drop wires in predetermined arrangement and to n'esent the warp threads singly and successively to the need.lm-separating and selecting devices are employed for these several elements which, in the described embodiment of the invention, are connected to rods or shafts extending from the needle end of the operating carriage to a pattern or gear head at 5 at the opposite end thereof (see Fig. 1). The carriage portions 2 and 5 are rigidly connected together and hence travel as a unit along the bed of the machine. The harness selecting worms 6 and the operating shafts 7 therefor, are herein shown suitable for selecting and controlling the eyes of six cotton harnesses. It is unnecessary here to describe the details of construction and operation of the harness separating and selecting devices or the reed opening device, or the supports for the harnesses and the reed, since they may be of the construction illustrated, for example, in United States Patents No. 980,086 and No. 1,188,070, and the British patent of Brookes No. 4661 of 1904.

Warp carriages 10 and 11 are herein shown for su 3 3ortin two se arate wares and war) worms 12 and 13 with their operating shafts 14 and 15 are shown for selecting, separating and presenting to the needle the individual threads thereof, these being similar in construction and operation to the corresponding devices shown in the co-pending application of Hathaway & Mars heretofore referred to. The invention, however, may be equally well employed in connection with ma chines fitted with a single warp support only and a single warp worm, such as is shown in the patent to Hathaway & Lea No. 1,188,070.

As in the case of the machines of the earlier patents referred to, the various operating shafts which extend to the pattern head 5 are connected to driving heads 20 which are clutched to or unclutched from suitable driving members within the gear head 5 under the control of a pattern mechanism represented generally at 21, which pattern mechanism will be similar to that shown in co-pending application to Lea, Serial No. 692,468. The pattern-controlled member being moved during the operation of the machine, is adapted to control clutches with in the gear head 5 which operatively relate the driving heads 20 to their respective driving members, causing such driving heads to remain quiescent or to be moved once for each threading action of the needle. The detailed construction of these clutches and driving members may be similar to that shown in patent to Hathaway & Lea, No. 1,188,070.

The driving members for the driving heads 20 are so connected that they are given an intermittent movement at each retraction of the needle, the extent of that movement being sufficient to turn the driving heads (when the pattern-controlling de vice causes them to be clutched to their driving members) one-half revolution, this being suflicient in the case of the harness worms to present an unthreaded heddle eye within the needle path or to move on a threaded heddle eye out of the needle path. The warp worm shafts 14 and 15 are also provided with driving devices (not shown) to which they may be clutched or from which they may be unclutehed through the control of the pattern, but their driving devices are herein driven at a constant speed (instead of intermittently) by gearing connections with a transverse shaft 22 which latter is connected. to the main drive shaft of the machine. The warp worm shafts when clutched to the driving devices are given one full rotation for each reciprocatory movement of the needle.

The machine herein disclosed is also equipped with means for selectin and presenting to the needle path drop wires of usual construction or similar loom elements. In the present machine provision is made for supporting three banks of drop wires, these being sustained upon the three loom hanger bars 30, 31, 32. (The invention, however, is applicable in its principles to machines having any desired number of banks of drop wires.) This brings the drop wires in three parallel compacted banks or groups located between the warp separator shaft 14 and the next adjacent harness. The drop wires may be of any desired form, but herein (see Figs. 8 and 9) a drop wire 33 of ordinary or simple form is employed having an elongated opening 34 to receive a contact member of the warp stop motion 1n the loom. in a drawing-in machine this opening is so presented to the needle as to have a rhread drawn through the same. The drop wires are herein controlled and. faced by means substantially the sam a shown in prior patent to Hathaway 6t Lea, No. 1,227,537, and the aforesaid co-pending application to Hathaway & Mars.

To this end the drop wires of each bank i1 are held in compacted, face-toface relation and released one by one from the series by means of a releasing key 40, the latter consisting of a head having a helical wing or flange 41 and carried by a releasing rod 42 which passes through a series of perforations in the drop wires, said perforations being arranged to form a channel or passage for the reception of the releasing rod 42. The drop Wires of each bank are held compacted against the shoulder of the flange 41 by suitable compacting devices carried by a sliding carriage (not shown) so that as the releasing key is turned the flange is brought in line with the lateral enlargement 44 in the perforation 45 and the foremost drop wire allowed to pass the edge of the key. The lateral enlargements are arranged in alternating relation, first up and then down, so that one drop wire is thus released for every half revolution of the key. The drop wires thus released are moved forward by the helical-shaped flange 4:1 and dropped into engagement with a feeding and facing means of substantially the same construction as the feeding and facing means of the patent to Lea No. 1,153,869. This consists of the conveying worm secured to the worm shaft 51, there being one worm located to operate at the side of each bank of drop wires and preferably, though not necessarily, below the needle path and below the releasing key. Each worm shaft extends toward the pattern head and is journaled in an auxiliary or intermediate head 52 (Figs. 3 and 7).

The releasing key and conveying worm are preferably arranged in slightly overlapping relation, SO that prior to dischrge from the releasing key the lower end of the drop wires are engaged by the conveying worm 50. When discharged from the releasing key the drop wires are caused to drop down into the groove of the conveying worm, as shown in Fig. 8, thereafter remaining suspended from its stringer or hanger bar. The conveying worm 50 is deeply grooved, so that it readily receives the drop wire endwise and it conveys it to a position where it can be turned and presented to the needle. Herein the turning and positioning of the drop wire is accomplished by the positioning worm 53 which is also secured to the worm shaft 51 adjacent the conveying worm 50. The turning or positioning worm is provided with flanged faces 54, 55, the inner or leading one of which has a radial slot or opening 56 (Fig. 9) to receive the edge of the advancing drop wire. This opens into a recess 57, which is deepened toward the face and so shaped that as the drop wire enters the slot it is gradually turned by the recess 57 which is appropriately shaped for that purpose and into the position shown in Fig. 8, where it is faced against an abutment 58 with the threading opening squarely pre sented to the drawing-in needle. .rtfter the retraction of the drawing-in needle the corn tinned movement of the worm forces the threaded drop wire therefrom by engagement with the wire of the beveledvend por tion 59 so as to discharge the threaded drop wire upon the stringer bar at one side of the path of the needle.

It is found that with a smoother and more effective action of the machine, less vibration results, where under normal conditions of operation the feeding and facing worm is given a continuous uninterrupted complete rotation while performing its movements of feeding, facing and discharging the drop wire. This is distinguished from the intermittent movement such as that performed by the harness worms where the. harness worm is given a half rotation to face the eye on one retraction of the needle, this being followed by a dwell in the movement of the worm at that point to permit the threading of the eye, and then followed (under normal conditions of drawing a single thread to a drop wire) by a second half rotation at the next-retraction of the needle. In the present machine, therefore, the turning and facing worms, so long as clutched to the driving devices, are rotated continuously at a constant speed, the facing wall in the recess 57 of the worm being sufliciently prolonged to hold the drop wire faced while the needle passes through the same, seizes the thread and withdraws, all without interruption of the'rotation of the facing worm. I

Under normal conditions of operation the facing worms are, therefore, constantly rotated, each worm being given one full rotation for each thread drawing, and reaching and maintaining its facing position during the time the needle is entered therethrough. The order in which the drop wires are presented to the needle may then be controlled by the pattern-controlled action of the releasing keys. By providing the proper pattern control, drop wires may be'drawn singly and successively from the several banks in rotation or two from one bank and one from each of the remaining banks, or in any other desired order, the turning worms maintaining their constant rotation and the releasing keys releasing the drop wires to the conveying and turning worms at the required intervals.

@n some occasions, however, it is required that a plurality of threads be drawn through a single drop wire, and this requires that the normal constant, rotary movement of the facing worm be dwelled at the point where the drop wire is faced and the facing position of the drop wire maintained until the required number of threads have been drawn therethrough. In order to provide means whereby the feeding and facing means may be given a continuous movement during the normal operation of the machine and the presentation of the drop wires controlled by the pattern control of the releasing mechanism, while on the other hand his normal operation may be varied, when required, for multiple thread drop wires and the constant movement of the facing means dwelled at the required point, I have provided driving and controlling mechanism for the facing worms and the releasing keys follows The three releasing key shafts .32 are extended through their journal supports in the intermediate head 52 where they are connected through universal joints 60 w" drive shafts (31 which in turn are canoe. through universal joints 62 with the corres ionding driving heads 90, the latter having the usual pattern-controlled clutch connections to driven members heretofore described in the preceding patents, these particular driving members being given one-half revolution for each thread drawing, whereby any releasing key when clutched to its driving member through the controlling pattern mechanism is also given one-half revolution to cause the release'of a drop wire and its presentation to the conveying worm. The universal joints 62 are connected directly to the driving heads 20 in the case of two of "the releasing keys, but one of the releasing key shafts has interposed between the universal ioint and the driving head certain controllingmechanism hereinbelow described which designed to control. the action of the tuning worm shafts under conditions where multiple thread drawing is desired.

To can. e the constant rotation of the turn-- ing worm shafts 51, the latter at the intermediate head 52 have secured thereto the equally dimensioned gears 70, 71, 72, (Fig. 7) the gears and 71 being in mesh with each other and the gears 71 and 72 being in mesh with the smaller intermediate pinion 73. The shaft 51 carrying the gear 71 extends through the intermediate head and carries the gear 7 1 (Fig. 3) meshing with the driving gear 7 5 on the worm drive shaft 76, the rotation of the she .t 76, therefore, causing the simultaneous turning movement of all three of the worm shafts 51. During the normal operation of the machine in drawing single-thread drop wires, the shaft 76 is driven at a constant rate of speed from the driving head 77 which has the beveled connections 78 with the constantly driven shaft 22. The connection between the driving head 77 and the shaft 76, however, (Figs. 3, 1, 5 and 6) is by means of the sliding clutch member 79 which is keyed loosely to the drive shaft 76 and capable of being moved to clutch the shaft to the driving head 77 or to be slid in the opposite direction and clutch the shaft to the stationary sleeve 80 fixedly carried by the upnt frame piece 81.

To move the clutch member 7 9, the latter has a circumferential groove 82 which is en ged by the yoke piece 83, the latter secured to the slicing frame 84: (Fig. 6) mounted to slide on the rod 85 secured to the uprights 86 and 87 which are fixed to the mechanism carriage.

The sliding frame 8 1- is adapted to be moved by the upright lever 90 (Fig. 3), the lower end of which partly embraces the rod 85 and has the springs 91 and 92 (Fig. 6) bearing against it from opposite sides through interposed washers, the opposite ends of the springs abutting against the forked ends of the frame 84. This connects the lever yieldably and resiliently to the clutch and the springs also facilitate the quick engagement or disengagement of the clutch. The lever 90 is pivoted on a lug 93 secured to the frame member 81 and has at its upper ends a pair, of rollers 941- which engage between them the cam 95 (Fig. formed on the sleeve 90 which is loose on the shaft 97 and rotatable within the fixed hub 98 on the upright member 81. The shaft 97 is connected to the driving head 20 for one of the three releasing key shafts and through the universal coupling 62 to one of the releasing key drive shafts 61, and effects the pattern-controlled operation of the releasing key shaft in the usual manner.

Slidably mounted upon but keyed to the shaft 97 there is also provided the clutch member 99 which is aitlapted to he slid. into clutching engagement with the cam sleeve 96 so as to cause the rotation of the latter with the shaft 97 and hence of the releasing key. Under normal conditions the clutch 99 is disengaged from the cam sleeve 96. To render thelatter immovable under these circumstances, there is provided. the rod 100 slida-bly mounted on the upright frame piece 81 and having the yoke shaped end 101 embracing a circumferential groove in the clutch member 99, the opposite end of the rod having an upturned end 102. l t hen the clutch is disengaged, the upturned end 102 enters slots 103 and 104;, which are formed respectively (Fig. 3 and 5) in the hub member 98 and in the sleeve piece 105 secured to the cam sleeve 96, the two slots being in registration when the cam is so posi tioned that it causes engagement of the clutch 79 with its driving head 77. Under normal conditions, therefore, with the clutch 99 disengaged from the cam sleeve 96, the end 102 of the'rod 100 is seated in the slots 103 and 10: and the sleeve 96 held fixed in such a position'as to maintain the engagement of the clutch 79 with its driving head 77. The drop wires are then presented to the threading action by the constantly rotated turnlng worms in any desired order, which order is predetermined by the patterncontrolled rotation of the releasing irey shafts. Of course it is understood that the constant rotation of the turning worms, even in the normal operation of the machine, may be interrupted as desired from time to time for any one or more thread drawings by the action of the pattern-controlled mechanism.

When it is desired to place two or more successive threads through the same drop wire, either in the case of a single group of drop wires or a plurality of groups being employed, the releasing key shaft 97 with which the clutch 99 is associated is reserved for controlling the action of the conveying and facing worms to dwell the movement of the. facing worms at the re quired point and no drop wires are carried upon the support 32 corresponding to that releasing key shaft. The drop wires of a ae eae single bank are suspended upon either one of the inner hanger bars 30 and 31. if two banks are employed, both bars 30 and 31 are supplied with drop wires' Additional supports and their correlated releasing keys and turning worms may be employed if more than two banks are utilized, but ordinarily the multiple-thread drop wires are drawn from a single bank only. lVith a single bank of drop wires suspended, for example, upon the bar 30, and the clutch 99 thrown in engagement with the cam sleeve 96, the pattern for the releasing key corresponding to the bank of drop wires supported on the hanger bar 30 is set so that the releasing key is given its half rotation once only for as many thread drawing movements as there are threads required to be drawn through the drop wire. For example, if it is required to draw three threads through each drop wire, the pattern is arranged to clutch the releasing key driv ing shaft for the bank of drop wires to its driver once every third thread drawing, so

' that at each third thread drawing a drop wire is delivered to its conveying worm, the driver being unclutched during the twointermediate thread drawings. The pattern for the releasing key actuating shaft 97, however, is set so that this shaft is clutched to its driver for two successive thread drawings and then unclutched for the two succeeding thread drawings, after which it is again thrown in for the next two succeed ing thread drawings, and so on. The re sult is that the cam sleeve 96 will be turned a half revolution on the first thread drawing, throwing the clutch 7 9 into engagement with the driving head 77 and causing the facing worm to make one complete revolution facing the leading drop wire to the needle. On the next cycle of machine movement, the releasing key shaft is turned an other half revolution, throwing the clutch 7 9 out of engagement with the driving head 77 and into engagement with the fixed sleeve 80, bringing the turning worm to rest. The cam 95 is so arranged that the engagement and the succeeding disengagement of the clutch 79 which occur on successive thread drawing movements, complete the rotation of the turning worm a point where the heddle is faced with relation tothe needle. in the assumed case it would remain in this position, therefore, for the two succeeding thread drawings, during which time the driving shaft 97 for the releasing key is quiescent. The result is that the continuous rotation of the drop wire worm 5O associated with the hanger bar 30 is dwelled under the pattern control of the driving key shaft 97 for a sufficient number of times to draw the necessary threads through the drop wire, the releasing key, however, for the corresponding bank of drop wires being actuated to place a fresh drop Wire into the convolutions of the conveying worm once for each complete rotation thereof.

If a different number of threads are required to be drawn through each drop wire, the arrangement of the pattern will be correspondingly varied.

While I have here shown and described for purposes of illustration one specific embodiment and one s ecific application of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited to the mechanical details or form or relative arrangement of parts herein shown, but that extensive deviations may be made in the same and yarious other applications made thereof with out departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims:

1. In a drawing-in machine, the combination with means for supporting the warp, warp separating means, a drawing-in needle, means for supporting a plurality of banks of drop wires each having a releasing key and driving shaft adapted under the control of a, pattern member to give an intermittent movement to the releasing key and release a. drop wire at predetermined threading actions and having each a conveying and facing worm adapted to take a released drop wire, face it for the threading operation and convey the threaded drop wire out of the needle path, said worms having a common driving member normally giving a continuous movement of rotation for any given cycle of threading movement of the machine, which rotation feeds, faces and passes on the drop wire, a clutch normally clutching the worm driving member with its driver but adapted to disengage the worm driving member from its driver and hold it fixed at the point where it is adapted to hold the drop wire faced, a cam upon one of the releasing key shafts adapted to throw said worm driver clutch in on one intermittent movement of the shaft and throw it out on the next movement of said shaft, and means for clutching said cam to and unclutching the same from the releasing key shaft whereby multiple thread drop wires may be threaded.

2. In a drawing-in machine, the combination with means for supporting the warp, means for supporting a plurality of banks of drop wires, patternrontrolled releasing devices for releasing the drop wires from the several banks in predetermined order, a. conveying and facing worm member adapted to be constantly rotated during any given cycle of drawing-in movement during the normal operation of the machine and undergoing turning movement while the drop wire is faced for the threading action, and means for dwelling the turning move- Cir 6 anemone ment of the facing worm at the time of the facing of the drop wire for a plurality of thread-drawings to draw multiple-thread drop wires, said means con'iprising a clutch member adapted to clutch and unclutch the facing worm and its driving member and means operable by the pattern-controlled releasing means for controlling said clutching and unclutching means.

3. In a drop wire threading machine, the combination with pattern-controlled releasing means, of means continuously acting under normalconditions for facing a released drop wire, and means for placing said facing meansunder the control of the pattern-controlled releasin means to dwell the movement of said facing means to hold a dro wire faced for a plurality of threading actions.

4. A warp-drawing machine having, in combination, a main frame; a mechanism carriage movable on the main frame, said carriage comprising a needle-supporting portion, a gear head, an intermediate head and a support between the gear head and the intermediate head; pattern mechanism attached to the gear head; a plurality of drop-wire releasing members detachably connected to the intermediate head; a plurality of drop-wire facing members detachably connected to the intermediate head; a direct connection between the intermediate head and the gear head for driving one of said neleasing members; a connection extending from the intermediate head through said support to the gear head for driving another of said releasing members; a connection extending from the intermedi ate head through said support to the gear head for driving another of said releasing members; a connection extending from the intermediate head through said support to the gear head for normally continuously driving the facing members; and means to enable the driving connection for the lastmentioned releasing member to control the driving connection for the facing members.

5. In a machine for separating and selecting drop wires for presentation to a threading devlce, the combination with a support for a series of drop wires, of releasing means for the drop wires, facing means for presenting to the action of the threading device an unthreaded drop wire for each action of the threading device, a drive for one of said means and a single pattern con trolling mechanism operable to drive one of said means at all times and the other one of said means at will.

6. In a textile machine, the combination with means for supporting a series of drop wires, an intermittently moved pattern-controlled releasing means for releasing the dropwires one by one, continuously moved facing means, and means adapted to be actuated by the releasing means to dwell the movement of said continuously moved fac ing means to hold the drop wire faced for a plurality of threading actions.

7. In a drawing-in machine, the combina tion with means for supporting a plurality of banks of drop wires, each bank having a releasing member and each banlr having a conveying and facing member having a normally constant facing movement while the drop wire is held faced for the threading action, of a single pattern-controlled means for controlling the releasing member and dwelling the normally constant movement of said facing member to hold the drop Wire faced for a plurality of threading actions.

8. In a warp drawing machine, the combination with means for supporting a pinralty of drop wires, of facing worms and releasing keys forthe drop wires, a Worm controlling clutch, an actuating lever for said clutch, a pattern-controlled drive shaft, a cam rotatable on said shaft with which. said lever is operatively associated, and a clutch on said shaft operable to engage said cam to connect it with the shaft.

9. In a drawing-in machine, the combination with means for supporting a warp, means for supporting a plurality of banks of drop wires, pattern-controlled releasing devices for releasing the drop wires from the several banks in predetermined order, a conveying and facing worm member adapted to be constantly rotated during an given cycle of drawing-in movement while the machine is in normal operation, said worm member being given turning movement while the drop wire is faced for the threading action and means for dwelling the turning movement of the facing worm at the time of the facing of the drop wire for a plurality of thread drawings to draw multiple thread drop wires, said means being controlled through the pattern-governed action of one of the re leasing devices.

10. A drop wire threading mechanism having supports for a plurality of banks of drop wires, threading mechanism, a patterncontrolled releasing mechanism for each bank, a normal continuously acting facing device for each bank, and means operatively associated with the releasing mechanism of one bank and the facing devices whereby the pattern-controlled action of the last mentioned releasing mechanism is adapted to effect a dwell of the faced drop wire so as to permit a. plurality of threads to be drawn therethrough.

11. A drop wire threading mechanism having a pattern-controlled drop wire releasing member and a facing member, driving mechanism for the facing member, a clutch whereby the facing member may be connected to it's driving mechanism or disconnected therefrom and held fixed, an actuating member for the clutch, a clutch opera ting device for periodically moving theactuat-ing member, and means for placing said device into and out of driving engagement with relation to the releasing member.

12. A drop Wire threading mechanism having means for supporting a plurality of banks of drop wires, and having a releasing key-operating shaft for each bank and a facing worm shaft for each bank, and means for controlling a facing worm shaft from a releasing key shaft comprising a clutch to connect or disconnect a facing worm shaft with relation to its driving mechanism, a member to move the clutch, a cam to con trol the member and a second clutch to connect or disconnect the cam with relation to the driving mechanism for the releasing key shaft.

13. In a textile machine, the combination of means for supporting a plurality of drop wires, a facing device for the drop wires, means for feeding the drop wires one by one to said facing means including a drive shaft, means for actuating said facing means including a drive shaft, a patterncontrolling means for one of said shafts, the other one of said shafts having a clutch interposed therein, and means adapted to be actuated by the pattern-controlled shaft to operate said clutch.

14. In a textile machine, the combination of drop wire feeding means, drop wire facing means, pattern-controlled mechanism for actuating the feeding means including a shaft, driving means for the facing means including a shaft having a clutch interposed therein, and means for operatively connecting said clutch with the first mentioned shaft whereby the facing means is controlled by said pattern-controlled mechanism.

15. In a textile machine, the combination of drop wire feeding means, drop wire facing means, pattern controlled mechanism for actuating the feeding means including a shaft, driving means for the facing means including a shaft having a controlling clutch, and means operable under the control of said pattern-controlled means to actuate the clutch of the facing means Whereby to dwell the movement of the facing means.

16. In a textile machine, the combination of drop wire facing means, drop wire feeding means, a plurality of shafts for actuating the feeding means, pattern-controlled means for said shafts, actuating means for the facing means normally constantly driven but having a controlling clutch, and an actuating device for said clutch arranged to be operated by one of said actuating shafts for the feeding means under the control of the pattern-controlled means.

17. In a textile machine, the combination of a plurality of drop wire facing members, a plurality of drop wire releasing members, a drive shaft for each of thereleasing members, a single shaft operable to drive the facing members, pattern controlled means for the drive shafts of the releasing mem bers, and means adapted to be actuated by one of said drive shafts for the releasing members to render inoperative periodically the drive shaft for the facing members whereby to dwell the movement of the facing members.

18. In a textile machine, the combination of a plurality of drop wire facing members, a plurality of drop wire releasing members, a drive shaft for each of the releasing members, a single shaft operable to control the facing members, pattern-controlled means for the drive shafts of the releasing members, and means adapted to be actuated by the drive shaft for one of said releasing members to render inoperative at predetermined intervals said single drive shaft for the facing members whereby to dwell the movement of the facing members, the last mentioned means including a clutch interposed in said single shaft, an actuating member for said clutch, a cam member on the last mentioned releasing member drive shaft, and means operable at will to connect said cam member with said shaft for rotation therewith under the control of the patterncontrolled means therefor.

19. In a textile machine, the combination of a plurality of drop wire facing members, a plurality of drop wire releasing members, means for continuously actuating the facing members, pattern-controlled means for actuating the releasing members, and patterncontrolled means operable at will to render inoperative at predetermined intervals the drive means for the facing members.

20. A drop-wire threading machine having in combination, a drop-wire releasing member, a pattern-controlled drive for the releasing member, a drop-wire facing member, a normally continuous drive for the facing member, and means to enable the pat tern-controlled drive for the releasing memher to control the transmission of power to the facing member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES A. CORRIGAN. 

